Gators cracked by Nutt, Snead

Houston Nutt needed just five games to get a signature win at Mississippi.

Jevan Snead threw two touchdown passes, ran for another score and led the Rebels to a stunning victory at No. 4 Florida.

Snead, the former Florida recruit who backed out of his commitment when he learned the Gators were going after Tim Tebow, outplayed last year’s Heisman Trophy winner.

And he did it in The Swamp, where Florida (3-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) had won 21 of its last 22 games.

The victory came in Snead’s fifth career start and gave Nutt a huge win in his first season with Ole Miss (3-2, 1-1).

Snead was 9-of-20 passing for 185 yards, not great numbers, but he made plays when the Rebels needed them. His biggest was an 86-yard touchdown pass to Shay Hodge that put the Rebels ahead, 31-24, with 5:26 to play.

Alabama has the look of a national championship contender, racing to a 31-point halftime lead over third-ranked Georgia on the way to a decisive win.

The Bulldogs became the third member of the top four to lose on a miserable week for ranked teams, while No. 8 Alabama (5-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) figures to move up at least three or four places to its highest spot yet under second-year coach Nick Saban.

The first half was a stunner. John Parker Wilson threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones. Mark Ingram, Glenn Cofee and Roy Upchurch ran for scores. The Alabama defense stifled the penalty plagued Bulldogs.

Georgia (4-1, 1-1) closed to 31-17 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. But that wasn’t nearly enough to stem the Tide.

Michigan celebrated its 500th game at the Big House with the first big win of the Rich Rodriguez era.

The Wolverines rallied from a 19-point halftime deficit, and when Allan Evridge of No. 9 Wisconsin misfired on a 2-point conversion pass with 13 seconds left, Michigan had sealed a victory.

Wisconsin (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) seemed to tie the game and set up overtime with David Gilreath’s 22-yard touchdown catch and Travis Beckum’s reception for 2. But the conversion was negated by a penalty, and on the retry, Evridge’s pass went high and through the end zone.

Colt McCoy put up five touchdowns in another near-perfect start, and No. 7 Texas routed visiting Arkansas to hand Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino an embarrassing debut in a border rivalry famous for close games.

The loss was the most lopsided in the series since a 35-point Texas victory in 1970. In the previous 10 meetings between Texas and Arkansas (2-2), the average margin of victory was fewer than nine points.

Tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells rushed for 106 yards in his first game in a month and quarterback Terrelle Pryor ran for two scores and threw for another to lead the No. 14 Buckeyes.

It was the first time the two had started in the same backfield.

Wells, out after injuring his right foot in the season-opener, carried 14 times and showed his old form by racing for 28 yards on his second attempt.

Jake Ricks recovered a fumble in the end zone and No. 15 Auburn sent Tennessee to its worst start in 14 years.

The Vols (1-3, 0-2 Southeastern Conference) fell to 1-3 for the first time since 1994, the second full season for embattled coach Phillip Fulmer.

Auburn’s anemic offense, which only produced 226 yards a week after a last-minute loss to LSU, was bailed out when Ricks recovered a fumble in the end zone for the 14-6 lead in the second quarter after a botched handoff to Arian Foster.

Eric Kettani rushed for a career-high 175 yards and backup quarterback Jarod Bryant scored the decisive touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give visiting Navy its first win over a ranked team in 23 years.

Coming in with a nation-best plus-10 turnover ratio, the No. 16 Demon Deacons (3-1) committed six turnovers in a dreadful performance a week after dominating Florida State.

Riley Skinner’s fourth interception midway through the fourth quarter set up Bryant’s 4-yard run with 3:45 left and ended Wake Forest’s comeback from a 17-0 deficit.

Chris Turner threw for a touchdown and Da’Rel Scott rushed for one to rally visiting Maryland to its second straight Death Valley victory over No. 20 Clemson.

Maryland (4-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) came in as a big underdog, just like in 2006 here, against the preseason favorites for the conference title. And just like two years ago, the Terps overcame a second-half deficit for the win.

Case Keenum threw for 399 yards and three touchdowns, and Houston earned its first win against a ranked opponent in a dozen years.

Patrick Edwards had 11 catches for 146 yards and a score for the Cougars (2-3, 1-0 Conference USA), who had no trouble moving the ball and finished with 621 total yards.

Bryce Beall ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and Houston’s defense didn’t allow the No. 23 Pirates (3-2, 1-1) to score an offensive touchdown until midway through the third quarter.

Tom Brandstater threw for three touchdowns and Ryan Mathews ran for one score and caught another and No. 25 Fresno State outlasted UCLA.

In a game marked by rapid shifts in momentum, the Bulldogs (3-1) took final control after the Bruins’ Derrick Coleman fumbled at the Fresno State 10 and the Bulldogs’ Wilson Ramos recovered with 8:55 remaining.